Scott Garrett lives in his own world

Hard to tell sometimes. Garrett, R-Sussex-Warren, was the only House member from New Jersey to oppose a bill providing $7 million in health benefits to first responders and others with chronic illnesses caused by toxic air at Ground Zero,

Given the fact that 9/11 struck so close to home for New Jersey residents, Garrett’s callousness to those in need because of it is truly sad.

He is at least consistent. Scott essentially believes that government should do nothing to help people and this vote is in line with that viewpoint.

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About fsnowflackFred Snowflack was editorial page editor and a political columnist for the Daily Record of Morristown for almost 12 years. He has won numerous awards for editorial and column writing from the New Jersey Press Association and has written a blog on county and state politics for the last three years. He lives in Ledgewood in Morris County.

The reason he wins is that the BEST the Dems can do is a guy who thinks that getting back $.74 for every $1.00 we send to WDC is a GREAT idea –

“New Jersey has been consistently last or next to last in the nation in terms of return on federal tax dollars since before Bruce Springsteen formed the E Street Band. While generosity of spirit is a virtue, in the case of the Garden State it is an enormous drain on ever diminishing fiscal resources. As of 2008, NJ received 61 cents back on every dollar paid in federal taxes. This once again landed us dead last among the fifty states and District of Columbia.

As pitiful as 61 cents on the dollar sounds, the true dimensions and impact of this return on our taxes go unnoticed by most. The 39 cents that NJ donates to the rest of the nation comes to approximately $27.5 billion. To out this sum into perspective, the entire tax revenue stream for our state’s budget is roughly $28 billion. We have been effectively footing the bill for two separate budgets — one for us and another one for the other 49 states.

Given our current financial crisis and the brutal budget cuts we are enduring, we can’t go on paying the freight for other states — some of whom get back as much as twice what they pay in federal taxes. Under my FAIR SHARE NJ plan and the attendant FAIR SHARE TAX ACT, any state receiving less than 75 cents back on each federal tax dollar be refunded the difference between their return and the 75 cent baseline. In new Jersey’s case, taxpayers would be refunded the difference between our pathetic 61 cents and the 75 cent baseline, which comes to 14 cents.

That 14 cent per tax dollar refund represents $9.8 billion that would come back to New Jersey. Can you imagine what an impact these funds would have on preserving our quality of life? What it would mean in terms of cutting taxes across the board for small businesses, senior citizens and working families? How it could allow us to restore critical programs and projects that have been slashed to make ends meet? As Congressman representing the 5th District, I will go to Washington and do something no one else has had the guts to do — get back our fair share.”

How about $1 for every $1? Or better yet, let’s stop sending so much money to WDC in the first place. Since NJ is the home (for the moment) to a much higher percentage of high income individuals, don’t allow the top rates to go sky high. That’s when people with means start to look harder at Florida or other states with no income tax. Duh! Keep the money and jobs in NJ.

P.S. If this is such a great idea, how come our senior senator hasn’t been pushing it. He is, after all, in the leadership and should have some sway over his colleagues.

Pbain, the income tax system was designed to spread the wealth. Those who can afford to, pay more. Those in need, receive more. It’s been that way since 1862 when that great Republican, Abe Lincoln enacted the first progressive tax. Deal with it!

P – Where are your genius solutions? It is so easy to sit back and complain. How about expressing some support to a courages candidate that will actually WORK HARD for the folks in the 5th district. Scott Garrett has done nothing but lie to the people and cater to wall street.

It doesn’t take a Genius to provide a solution – Send Less Money to WDC, not more. Keep the Bush Tax Cuts. Second, get rid of our useless federal legislators, especially Sens. Menendez and Lautenberg. They’ve never met a federal entitlement that they didn’t embrace, to the NJ taxpayer’s detriment.

Ted – You might want to review US History, specifically the Income Tax. It wasn’t implemented to “spread the wealth,” but to cover the bills from two wars – the Civil War and WWI (the one instituted after the Civil War was sunset, and after WWI the rates were seriously reduced).

It wasn’t until the New Deal and Great Society entitlement programs came along that Libs decided to use the tax code to move money between classes and generations. Now, even old age insurance programs that were supposed to provide retirement coverage – SS and Medicare; are just welfare schemes too.

The first income tax was 1862. It was progressive. Those who could afford it paid a higher rate…spread the wealth, what part of that don’t you understand.

And it really doesn’t take a genius to figure a solution. However, unless you have clear understanding of the problem your solutions will be simplistic and ineffective.

Pbrain, your arguments start with a conclusion: we send too much money to Washington. You need to a) Prove we send too much…and proof isn’t your mere perception that we do. 2)Describe in detail how cutting taxes solves the problem at hand…starting with the conclusion that tax code crreated the problem only leads to feeble justification of your misguided thoughts

As for “proof,” that we send too much money to WDC, I’d refer you back to your OWN CANDIDATE, who is basing a big piece of his candidacy on that FACT. My only quibble with him is that he’d settle for $.74 on the $1.00, I want the whole dollar. I covered the rest in my post. Have someone read it to you slowly and maybe it will sink in. Doubtful, but Hope Springs Eternal.

P.S. Thanks for reminding us all of Obama’s answer to Joe Da Plumber, and how he candidate Obama wanted to “spread the wealth” around. Still can’t find that enumerated in the US Constitution. Maybe you can explain how that’s part of the Federal government’s charter.

P.P.S. “Spreading the Wealth” around means collecting it from the Rich and redistributing it to the Poor. That wasn’t done during the Civil War, unless you consider compensating the troops and manufacturers of military equipment “redistribution.” I’m not aware of a soul that’s alive, other than you, who would classify it that way.

New Jerseyans get screwed by the Red States. According to the Tax Foundation, hardly a liberal organization “Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States” This trend started with Reagan who shifted Federal Spending from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West.

So as I read the numbers, if you want to continue to get screwed, vote Republican.

No, if you want to continue to get screwed, keep voting for people who want to raise your taxes. Since NJ has by far a greater percentage of higher income earners than most 9if not all) of the other states, every time you hear someone saying “just increase the taxes on the rich,” assume they’re talking about NJ, and VOTE NO.

Keep voting for people who raise my taxes? I didn’t vote for Christie who will wind up raising property taxes by an estimated 23 per cent once you factor in the loss of the rebates.

We need to sit down and have a serious conversation about what services municipalities, counties and the state should supply and which we can live without. We can reform the pension system, cut all fraud and waste and keep wages static, but schools, cops, firefighters, libraries, EMS, roads, bridges, snow plowing, garbage collection, potable water are all government responsibilities and have to be paid for.

The 23% number is totally BOGUS. NJsians pay over $24B a year in Property Taxes. That would mean that the rebate program sent back $5B per year, which isn’t anywhere near the actual number.

And yes, services have to be paid for, but the price we pay is way too high. Public Sector workers’ comp (per employee) has increases by about 100% in the past decade. And we’ve continued to increase our staffing at all levels of government. Both are unsustainable. With hard caps in place, local governments will have to make choices – arrest the growth in employee comp growth, cut back services or find economies of scale (i.e., MERGE).